“Stream of consciousness”
This conceptual video artwork was created with over 100 clips from the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the most well-documented and first live-streamed genocide in history.
The chaos of this piece is intentional, layered with fragmented imagery and sound to evoke an unrelenting stream of tragedy. Every second demands attention, perhaps even multiple viewings to absorb its depth. Words cannot fully explain it, but I will attempt to at least outline the process and intent.
The scenes alternate between the unimaginable suffering endured by the Palestinian people alongside the grotesque, gleeful displays of violence and inhumanity by Israeli soldiers. This juxtaposition exposes two sides of the same horror for seven minutes in hell where the phone is on fire yet refuses to cease playing.
Though there were countless gory and vile videos to choose from (and more published each day), which are of course vital to see and record, for this I tried to focus on the more human, emotional experiences of the Palestinians – rescuing, grieving, surviving. The decision to include faces without blurring was also deliberate, to amplify their humanity rather than reduce them to abstractions. These are real people and hiding them would have felt like another layer of detachment.
The Israeli soldiers’ videos, posted by themselves, show their war crimes proudly displayed for the world. Looting everything they find. Partying in schools. Flaunting perversions such as wearing the lingerie of the women they’ve displaced or killed. Destroying every inch they can with joy and maniacal laughter, making clear their intentions. All done with impunity and pride while claiming a permanent monopoly on victimhood.
To me, the disturbingly prevalent trend of Israeli soldiers shamelessly wearing Palestinian women’s lingerie was in such stark contrast with the strong masculine image that soldiers are stereotypically assumed to embody. Instead, you see a true resilience in the Palestinian men as they rescue people from under the rubble with bare hands, the doctors who care for the injured on hospital floors, the young journalists who risk their lives to show the world what is happening despite the targets on their backs. All this, while Israelis do their best to degrade and humiliate them (seen in the mass kidnappings in these videos), and while the media tries so hard to dehumanize them and those who resist as “terrorists.” Israeli soldiers are the weakest of the weak, humiliating only themselves.
The videos were sourced from various journalists and accounts online – such as Hossam Shabat (@HossamShabat) in northern Gaza, Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0), Tamer (@tamerqdh), as well as Younis Tirawi (@ytirawi) who has been investigating the soldiers’ videos. Many clips retain visible watermarks and translations.
Text message notifications pop up periodically as distractions that mimic the nature of how we consume online – reflecting apathy, greed, detachment, disorientation. The white rabbit Matrix reference symbolizes an ambiguous source of this commentary, asking if it is our conscience, the algorithm, someone else, or all of these blurred together.
The stream background and title “stream of consciousness” serve multiple roles – a literal flow mirroring the never-ending stream of tragedy as “content”; a metaphor for algorithms shaping our thoughts; and a reference to the concept of consciousness itself, both personal and collective – are we truly awake or are we drifting along unconsciously? This stream is also a plea to stay grounded in reality and humanity. (It is my hand above a small stream in LA.)
106 out of the 107 clips were filmed in Gaza, and all were during this genocide. I believe the one of manicured female soldiers flaunting their McDonalds (which has supported the IDF throughout this time) was filmed on a base in Israel proper.
I kept the original audio of every video, except for the final one of the smoking body which had no sound, so I extended the haunting sound of the soldiers singing their national anthem with their flag on a Gaza beach in the preceding video.
For me, no matter how many hours I’ve spent editing this piece, watching it remains a visceral experience. It is not desensitization, it is a refusal to look away.
If this piece sells, at least 90% will be donated to trusted sources (determined after sale, according to the amount).